Pray at all times

Recently on a Wednesday night our church finished up Ephesians. I’d begun preaching through the book verse by verse in August 2021 and we’d concluded by going through each piece of the Armor of God in depth, and finally finishing the letter. It was a wonderful time in God’s Word together – I was truly encouraged and challenged by our time in Ephesians, and I felt our church was too.

The night we concluded the epistle, the final passage we read included Ephesians 6:18, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,” (NASB 1995). 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray without ceasing.” That verse seems to indicate that Christians should pray until they receive an answer to their prayers. In other words, don’t give up on praying for something until God answers (though we recognize, just as Jesus experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane, sometimes God’s answer may simply be “No.”). But Ephesians 6:18 doesn’t leave room for understanding its meaning as “pray until you get an answer.” The verse says “pray at all times in the Spirit” and it means “pray at all times in the Spirit.” We are to be in a state of constant prayer.

So since our bodies require food, water, and sleep, and since we must work to earn a living, how are we supposed to pray at all times? The Scripture indicates here (and elsewhere, as in Romans 8:26-27) that the Holy Spirit is the One Who enables us to pray at all times. And that’s not to say that He empowers us to never sleep or eat so that we may constantly pray, but rather that by receiving the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation, and walking by the Spirit, we are able to remain in a state of constant prayer. We are able to maintain a Holy Spirit-given open line of communication with the Lord. What a blessing!

And yet, Ephesians 6:18 is still a command. We are still instructed to “pray at all times in the Spirit.” So how can we maintain this constant state of prayer? Well, first and foremost, since the Holy Spirit is the only One Who can enable a person to pray at all times, we must recognize that one must first be born again in Christ in order to pray at all times. Those who have never been saved by repenting of (turning from) their sins and believing on Jesus Christ for salvation do not have the Holy Spirit, and therefore they are incapable of praying at all times in the Spirit. But second, we must recognize that this gift of constant prayer is just that – a gift that is given to believers at the moment of salvation. As Christians, prayer is the air that we breathe. It is our spiritual lifeblood. Therefore, we don’t have to try to begin praying at all times, when we’re saved the Lord sets us on that course!

The problem comes when we allow things to take us out of that state of prayer. And the problem worsens when those things become habits in our lives. No teenage boy has continued his praying at all times while lusting after a woman – he stops praying to lust. And if he allows himself to become a habitual luster, then he habitually neglects his prayer life. Likewise, for all of us, it is all too easy to take ourselves out of a state of prayer, and often the quickest way off the train is to jump into our sin. And then, by God’s grace, having repented of that sin, we sometimes neglect to re-enter that state of constant prayer.

—A brief side-note: Ephesians 6:18 doesn’t say “be in a state of constant prayer,” it says, “pray at all times.” I believe describing this action as “being in a state of constant prayer” is helpful and is faithful to the Scripture’s intent, but we must not assume that it’s acceptable to take this idea and neglect prayer, justifying our lack of prayerfulness as, “Oh, I’ve been saved, so the Holy Spirit does all my praying for me. It’s not necessary that I stop or slow down to pray.” The verse, again, says, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition…” (emphasis mine). Prayer is hard work and must not be taken lightly. Praying quick prayers during rushed mornings and right before bed when you’re tired are better than nothing, but prayer should really be a spiritual discipline that one makes daily, prepared, methodical time for. —End of side-note.

So if praying at all times is a gift received at the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (when a person is born again by repenting and believing on Christ for salvation), and if we can habitually get ourselves out of that state of constant prayer (through sinning, primarily, but also through other distractions), then how can we possibly re-enter that state? Simple: by practicing prayer – putting prayer into practice. Perhaps you need to hang reminders in your house, on your bathroom mirror, in your car, at your office, at your desk; perhaps you need to ask a friend or family member to remind you, or you need to set a reminder on your phone. Whatever you need to do, get back into the habit of praying. Not just making petitions to God, but stopping to give God thanks for the good things He has brought into your life. Try to begin praying as you wake up in the morning. If you get to lunch and realize you’ve neglected to pray that day, start right then and there! But practice the spiritual discipline of praying! And God, by His grace, will help you to pray constantly. In fact, this is exactly what He has already promised to do by His Holy Spirit (see, again, Romans 8:26-27).

I have found in my life that when I am praying constantly, I recognize and sense God’s presence in my life. That’s not to say that He isn’t always present with me (God is omnipresent and He is graciously and specially present in the hearts of all believers), but when I attune my heart to Him, I find His presence all the more overwhelming and sweet, as my sin and selfishness take a backseat to His grace and faithfulness.